Unitary header construction



United States Patent liice Patented Sept. 22, i959 This invention relatesgenerally to` builders hardware,

and more particularly, to an improved header assemblyY for slidingdoors.

Genera-l practice -for'providing bypassing sliding; door or wardrobe installations requires a rough door opening.

in whichl is placed a finish. frame. A depending track is suspended from the upper jamb member of the finish frame from rolling hanger assemblies which attach di rectly to the sliding doors. In order to hidethe track and hanger members, a fascia board is mounted in front of the track in depending relation to-such upper jamb member.

appearance conforming with trim practice employed with the swinging doors. As a. result, the slidingdoorinstal'- lations appear out of place in a home, for example, where both sliding and hinged doorsA appear. Further, the use of a fascia to. cover up the slidingY door track and hangers presents a cumbersome structural problem. In such installations, if the rough door opening is made of a standard or normal size then to accommodate' thek depending dimension of the track element, the standard door for such an opening must be cut down. If the door opening is increased in height to avoid cutting the door, it appears too large with relation to openings for swinging doors of the same height.

As a consequence, the popularity of bypassing sliding door installations has suffered because of the lack of a convenient means for conforming their general appearance with the trim structure used with swinging door openings usually found in the same room therewith.

Recognizing the above listed difficulties in present day wardrobe and bypassing sliding door installations, I have invented as hereinafter described a new and improved unitary assembly which substantially obviates previous objections to sliding door installations and presents, as an. item of manufacture, a standard header unit capable of meeting the requirements of normal variations in door installations of this character. Specifically, the unitary headerY construction of this invention satisfies. previous problems relating to door opening height, door cuttingto accommodate the depending track element, employment of cover members or fascial boards to hide the sliding door hardware and uniform appearance of the trim structures employed in finishing ott both sliding bypassing and hinge mounted door openings. The. present invention further eliminates the requirement for. treating of each and every installation special to meet particular variations in wall thickness, door thickness and trim structures. The unitary header structure of my invention also provides an entire package suspension means for the sliding doors thereby eliminating fashioning individual pieces of the installation on the job. Consequently, my improved header unit is more economical, labor saving and eiiicient to use than previously known structures in this category.

My present invention is the provision. of a unitary header assembly for sliding doors which comprises a This type of: installation does not permit trim-v ming over the fascia to. give the nish. door openingY an:

2. box-like structure carrying a suitable longitudinally extending track means on: which the rollers of sliding door hanger means. move. Such track rails are carried. on a rigid two piece headerchannelA of metal having attached to its opposite lateral extremes, wooden stringer. members for the securing of trim materials. Suitable means are provided fori adjusting the lateral dimension of the header unit as' well as for adjustingv thev positionv of the track element laterally ofand within the header channel to accommodate various doorl and wall thicknesses.

Briefly, the present unitary assembly seeks to providev a single compact and easily installed unit capable of adaptation. torough wall openings wherein variations in lateral dimensionfare required of the header due to the.

use of various wall constructions, typified generally by external trim or Hush wall constructions; myinvent-ionisalso capable of accommodating sliding doors of different thicknesses andV specifically, for example, to accommodate'both and 1% standardl door thicknesses. It. will be recognized from descriptive materials which follow presently, that the unitary assembly of my invention provides an'economical and easily employed subassembly greatly facilitating the installation of` bypassing' sliding door installations.

The. mainv object of my invention is to provide a new and` improved unitary header assembly for use with bypassing sliding doors.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedy unitary header; assembly capable of lateral adjustment tov accommodate bypassing sliding doors and wall-structures of varying thickness.

Another object of my invention is to provide a unitary header assemblyfor sliding; doors which' eliminates the need for special trim. procedures andY fascia members to hide the slidingfdoor hangers, track and' the like. v

Stil-l anotherobject off my invention is' to provide a unitary-slidingV door header assembly which is suspended at its opposite endsV across a rough door opening without' sacrifice; of rigidity or'hangfingV support.

Another object ofl my invention is to` provide a standard sliding door header assembly having improved compactness and space saving, features whereby such is capable ofV being: installed ini a rough door opening in such a: manner that the. need for dilferent door opening structures forv standard, swinging and sliding doors is eliminated..

A still4 further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved header assembly for use with sliding doors whereby likeA standard trim procedures may be used for both sliding and hanging doors.

Still another' objectv of my invention is to provide a new and improved sliding door header assembly, formulated asai unitof manufacture in which header channel members, overhead railsv or track means and trim attaching means: are: combined to facilitate and simplify ther installationvof bypassingV sliding door units.

The above.l and further objects, features and advantages of this inventionwill be mad'eclearV to those familiar in the art fromV the: following detailed description and specication of a preferredy embodiment thereof illustrated. particularly in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a partial' perspective View ofthe improved unitary header assembly of my invention;

Figure2 is la cross-sectional showing of a typical bypassing sliding door installation in which the wall construction includes wet plaster surfacing materials and external trim members;

Figure 3' is another cross-sectional showing similarA to Figurek 2' illustrating the use of my improved unitaryor return type trim; and

The unit of Figure 4 is still another cross-sectional view similar to Figures 2 and 3 showing the employment of my improved unitary header assembly in instances where bypassing sliding doors of thinner cross-sectional dimension than those illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 are used.

Turning now to the aspects and features of my invention as illustrated in the drawings, it will be recognized from Figure 1 that the unitary assembly, designated generally by numeral therein, includes a two part metal header channel member 11 including interiitting L-shaped members 12 and 13. A longitudinally extending elongated double rail track 14 is supported dependingly from the header member 12 and a pair of trim attachment members 15 and 16 are disposed along the lateral extremes of the header channel 11. It will be recognized by those familiar in the art that the header members 12 and 13, the rail or track member 14 and the attachment members 15 and 16 are longitudinal members of suflicient length to bridge a rough door opening in which a pair of bypassing sliding doors, such as door members 19 and 20 of Figure 2, are installed for bypassing sliding movement.

With greater particular, the two cooperating members 12 and 13 preferably constitute rigid metal members. The track supporting header member 12, for example, includes a large planar platform portion 21 having a downwardly turned lip or depending skirt portion 22 at its one lateral extreme. Suitable openings 23, 23 are provided at intervals along the length of platform portion 21 for the attachment thereto of the underlying track unit or member 14. In this respect, it will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, that the track unit 14 has an upper wall portion 24 through which are formed spaced slotted openings 25 receptive of metal screw means 26 which thread into openings 23 in the member 12 of the header unit 11.

The header unit is completely supported at its opposite ends by extending end portions of the platform 21 which projects beyond the depending lip portion 22 thereof. Such extending end portions are distinguished by plural openings 28, 28 for the downward passage of nails or like fastener elements used to secure the track supporting member 12 to the upper ends of spaced jamb facing or wooden plate members essentially defining therewith a nish jamb frame for the door opening. It will be noted also that the extension of such platform portions beyond the lip portion 22 is substantially equivalent to the thickness of the plate member 30 so that the ends of attachment members 15 and 16 abut the inner faces of the jamb plate members 30 as shown by the dotted position of the latter in Figure 1. The attachment member 15 is further suitably secured over the outer face of the depending lip portion 22 as by plural screw elements 31.

The secondary or cooperating member 13 of the header channel 11 is formed substantially L-shaped with an upper horizontal platform portion 33 and a depending lip portion 34 at its one lateral edge. The two members 12 and 13 are interiitted such that the upper face of platform portion 33 slidingly engages the lower face of platform portion 21. Interlocking of such two members is by metal screw means 35 which pass upwardly through slotted opening 36 formed in platform portion 33 and thread into overlying circular openings formed for that purpose near one edge of platform portion 21.

The second trim attachment member 16 comprising a wooden Stringer is suitably recessed for lip 34 and attached inwardly of such lip portion beneath platform portion 33 as by plural screw elements 38. This arrangement places the outer face 39 of the member 16 flush with the outer face 40 of the downwardly or depending arranged lip portion 34.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the unitary assembly so far described comprises a complete header combination adjustable laterally to accommodate Wall thicknesses of varying dimension and including means for locating the overhead track or rail element at desired lateral positions within the lateral dimension of the header assembly and between the attachment members 15 and 16. The adjustable features of the unitary assembly of my invention are carried forth by slidingly adjusting the member 13 relative to member 12 along the slotted openings 36 with their adjusted position being fixed by the tightening of screw means 35. Typical variations in such adjustability for the lateral dimension of my header units are illustrated successively in Figures 2 and 3, the former showing the header in its widest adjustable position and the latter showing the same in its narrowest or retracted position.

Likewise, the arrangement of the slotted openings 25 in the upper wall of the track element 14 which cooperate with the screw means 26 for holding such track element in a regulated position along the header member 12, enables one to adjust the track to desired positions laterally of the header assembly. For example, examination of Figures 2 and 3 will show the track as used normally with a 1%" door. In this condition of operation, the track is displaced to an extreme inward position limited by the length ofthe slotted openings 25. When using my assembly with a 1%" door, however, as illustrated in Figure 4, the track element 14 is moved to the extreme left to substantially abut the inner face 42 of the trim attachment member 15.

Regarding the trim attachment member l15 in greater particular, it will be noted from its cross-sectional configuration that such includes an extending projection portion 43 overlying a cutout corner 44 formed at the lower right hand corner thereof as viewed in Figure 1. The projection 43 extends under the depending lip portion 22 of the header member 12 while the clearance provided by the cutout corner area 44 therein accommodates the upper edge of an adjacent door 19 when using the assembly with the thicker doors of standard 1% thickness, for example.

The presence of the two trim attachment members 15 and 16 provides a convenient and compact means for connecting finish wooden trim molding 45 such as are illustrated in Figures 2 and 4; such trim molding serving to cover any gap between the header unit of this invention and overlying wood structural members 27 and 47. Note also that the provision of the trim attachment members serves to provide a customary reveal portion, as at 48 required by conventional trim practice and behind which the door supporting track is concealed. In certain instances of construction, a plaster return 50, such as illustrated in Figure 3, may be desired. In that event, the members 15 and 16 abut the rearward face of the metal returns 50, as shown in Figure 3, to provide a desired reveal portion 48.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that those familiar with the art will understand and appreciate the novel features and aspects of the present invention and will readily recognize its Versatility and merit for accommodating itself to both the metal return construction, as illustrated in Figure 3, aud to the time honored external trim construction of Figures 2 and 4. It will also be understood that door thickness of varying dimension, as for example, 3M and 1% doors of the bypassing sliding variety, are readily accommodated by this single unit through adjustable placement of the overhanging track element 14.

While I have herein shown and described the features and concepts of the present invention in conjunction with a particular preferred embodiment, herein shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of its inventive aspects. As a consequence, it is not my intention to be limited to the particular form of header unit herein shown and described except as may appear in the following appended claims.

I claim:

1. A unitary header unit for use in bypassing sliding door installations, comprising a frame, including two elongated metal members, each member having a base portion facing the upper edge of a door operatively associated with said unit and a depending lip formed along one edge of the base portion of each frame member facing away from the other frame member, means slidingly interconnecting said base portions in fixed relation with the lips thereof in spaced parallel relation at selected distances apart, including a slot in the base portion of one of said frame members and a cooperating screw carried by the base portion of the other of said frame members, a roller supporting track member straddled by the depending lips of said frame members, and means slidingly interconnecting said track member and the base portion References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,050,924 Dowd Jan. 21, 1913 1,818,776 Wintrob Aug. 1l, 1931 2,732,919 Johnson Jan. 31, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 695,487 Germany Aug. 26, 1940 

